"Seeing seARTS" is an occasional Gloucester Daily Times feature highlighting the work of seARTS members or those who participate in seARTS events. The Society for the Encouragement of the Arts is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to re-establish Cape Ann as a world-class center for working artists in balance with the unique character of Cape Ann as a maritime community.
Collaboration with the arts brings people together, money to Cape Ann and a rich, ineffable quality to our lives. Politicians talk about it; arts and cultural tourism committees advocate for it; nearly everybody thinks it's a good idea.
Well, it's happening - right here on Cape Ann - and you can see it in action this weekend.
The Celebrate Gloucester Waterfront Music and Arts Festival, marking this weekend's grand opening of Cruiseport Gloucester, is a prime example of the benefits we all receive when the arts ally with business.
All of us on Cape Ann will be treated to a rare opportunity to see a juried exhibition of local art, hear our favorite local musicians, engage in dialogue with local authors, soak in our maritime culture and dance under the stars on Gloucester Harbor.
Like most creative inspiration, the partnership between the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (seARTS) and Cruiseport Gloucester was born in local cafes and restaurants over coffee, nosh and a glass or two of good red wine. The partnership comes on the heels of other successful partnerships between local artists and businesses that were brokered by seARTS over the past three years.
"seARTS' mission is to draw on Cape Ann's rich cultural resources and promote innovative collaborations that benefit both artists and the local economy. Through seARTS' partnership with Cruiseport Gloucester, we are able to showcase work from 39 artists from different backgrounds and disciplines," said Sara Young, executive director of seARTS.
"seARTS has been making these connections for several years through our Community Education Series, Partner with an Artist, and Arts/Biz programs. The results of these efforts have forged new avenues for Cape Ann artists to bring their work to the community and had a positive effect on the local economy."
This weekend's juried art exhibition, on display in Cruiseport Gloucester's new ballroom, features 62 works in various media, including watercolors, oils, acrylics, photography, pottery, porcelain, jewelry, collage and mixed media such as wallpaper. It is the sort of exhibit one might expect to see at a big city gallery or museum.
Collaboration with the arts brings people together, money to Cape Ann and a rich, ineffable quality to our lives. Politicians talk about it; arts and cultural tourism committees advocate for it; nearly everybody thinks it's a good idea.
Well, it's happening - right here on Cape Ann - and you can see it in action this weekend.
The Celebrate Gloucester Waterfront Music and Arts Festival, marking this weekend's grand opening of Cruiseport Gloucester, is a prime example of the benefits we all receive when the arts ally with business.
All of us on Cape Ann will be treated to a rare opportunity to see a juried exhibition of local art, hear our favorite local musicians, engage in dialogue with local authors, soak in our maritime culture and dance under the stars on Gloucester Harbor.
Like most creative inspiration, the partnership between the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (seARTS) and Cruiseport Gloucester was born in local cafes and restaurants over coffee, nosh and a glass or two of good red wine. The partnership comes on the heels of other successful partnerships between local artists and businesses that were brokered by seARTS over the past three years.
"seARTS' mission is to draw on Cape Ann's rich cultural resources and promote innovative collaborations that benefit both artists and the local economy. Through seARTS' partnership with Cruiseport Gloucester, we are able to showcase work from 39 artists from different backgrounds and disciplines," said Sara Young, executive director of seARTS.
"seARTS has been making these connections for several years through our Community Education Series, Partner with an Artist, and Arts/Biz programs. The results of these efforts have forged new avenues for Cape Ann artists to bring their work to the community and had a positive effect on the local economy."
This weekend's juried art exhibition, on display in Cruiseport Gloucester's new ballroom, features 62 works in various media, including watercolors, oils, acrylics, photography, pottery, porcelain, jewelry, collage and mixed media such as wallpaper. It is the sort of exhibit one might expect to see at a big city gallery or museum.
"This exhibition will highlight the amazing pool of talent and draw attention to the great artistic diversity on Cape Ann," said Mary Beth Bainbridge, assistant to the chief curator at the Peabody Essex Museum and curator of this weekend's exhibition. "I was pleasantly surprised by the quality, variety of talent and innovation displayed by the artists who submitted works and I was struck by the great variety of media."
The event will also feature local authors, representatives from local museums, historians and even dance performances, providing an opportunity for people to enjoy local talent and appreciate Gloucester's unique culture. Plus, the festival features dozens of local musicians over two days - all in an attempt to connect the arts with the community.
"It's our authentic nature that draws people to Gloucester," said Frank Elliott, owner of Cruiseport Gloucester. "Partnering with local artists helps us to compete in the cultural tourism market. We hope to continue our work with seARTS to maintain a local art presence at Cruiseport Gloucester over the long term."
Cape Ann has a golden opportunity to become a major center for cultural tourism. Cruiseport Gloucester and seARTS are leading the charge to market our creative economy - beginning with Gloucester, promoting the city as America's oldest seaport and art colony.
Part of our mission is to raise awareness of the inextricable and ancient link between the arts and everyday life. Rather than relegating the arts to the first thing cut when school budgets get tight, we see the arts, along with our maritime culture, as a catalyst for an economic development boom.
Here is one example of the living link among art, history and modern culture:
At the end of the 19th century, Gloucester schooners landed cod caught in local waters at what is now Rowe Square. In 1905, an anonymous photographer captured acres of cod drying in the sun in a striking portrait of those nearly forgotten days.
T.S. Elliott probably ate that very salt cod when he summered on Eastern Point with his family. He wrote about Cape Ann some 40 years later. When Joe Garland published one of his early books on Cape Ann, he put the 1905 photograph in it.
In 2005, that picture appeared on the Web in a flash movie for CruiseportGloucester.com. And you can see the original photo at the Cape Ann Historical Museum.
Whether we realize it our not, our history and our arts are an integral part of our lives today.
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Peter W. Van Ness is founder and president of Van Ness Group, a Web, business development and marketing firm in Gloucester. He is also a member of seARTS' board of directors and producer of Celebrate Gloucester.
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